As announced on November 1, 2018, Ueno Zoo has begun preparations for Giant Panda, Xiang Xiang, to separate from her mother, Shin Shin, and live independently (background and preparations).

Starting on December 2nd (Sunday), we moved to "Step 3," where mother and baby were kept together mainly during the day, and separated at night when breastfeeding was more frequent, while we observed their behavior. Xiang Xiang remained calm, and no health problems were observed.

Therefore, starting December 10th, we began "Step 4," which involved keeping Xiang Xiang separated from Shin Shin for the entire day. On December 18th (Tuesday), she appeared restless, possibly because she had been taken out to outdoor enclosure D in the morning, so we suspended her exhibit from 11:30 AM. Once she was brought indoors, Xiang Xiang quickly calmed down, and after confirming that there were no health problems, we resumed normal exhibit activities the following morning. Currently, Xiang Xiang spends her days in outdoor enclosures A and D, resting for 13 to 15 hours a day and spending the rest of the time foraging, which is approaching the behavior of an adult.

On December 26, 2018 (562 days old), the measurement showed a weight of 39.5 kg (an increase of 1.7 kg from December 11).

While mother Shin Shin would breastfeed and take care of her cub when she was with her, as the time spent apart increased, she began to actively avoid interacting with Xiang Xiang, prioritizing her own food intake, not readily accepting breastfeeding, and frequently cutting it short. It was clear that her prioritization of childcare had diminished compared to before.

Since December 10th, we have entered Step 4, and Shin Shin has been living separately all day. She remains calm and, like Xiang Xiang, shows no signs of health problems. Shin Shin is being fed bamboo, apples, carrots, panda dumplings, and pellets, and her feeding is going well.






*As a general rule, Xiang Xiang's physical examination is conducted on days ending in "5" (it may also be conducted on other days).
*Announcements on the website will be made twice in December and once from January onwards, on the day following a park closure.
The scheduled date for January 2019 is Tuesday, the 8th.

◎Previous News
・ Giant Panda "Shin Shin" gives birth! (June 12, 2017)
・ Giant Panda "Shin Shin" gives birth: The aftermath [1] (June 13, June 14) (June 14, 2017)
・ Giant Panda "Shin Shin" gives birth: Update [2] (June 15, June 16) (June 17, 2017)
・ Giant Panda "Shin Shin" birth: Update [3] (June 17, June 18) (June 18, 2017)
・ Giant Panda 'Shin Shin's' birth: The aftermath [4] (June 19, June 20) (June 20, 2017)
・ Giant Panda "Shin Shin" gives birth [5] Third physical examination. The cub is confirmed to be female. (June 23, 2017)
・ Giant Panda "Shin Shin" gives birth [6]: The cub's markings become increasingly clearer (June 27, 2017)
・ Giant Panda "Shin Shin" gives birth [7] Her weight exceeds 600 grams. (July 4, 2017)
・ Giant Panda "Shin Shin" gives birth [8] Weight exceeds 1 kg (July 14, 2017)
・ Giant Panda "Shin Shin" after giving birth [9] Both eyes are faintly visible (July 23, 2017)
・ Giant Panda "Shin Shin" after giving birth [10] 7th physical examination (August 2, 2017)
・ Giant Panda "Shin Shin" after giving birth [11] 8th physical examination (August 14, 2017)
・ Giant Panda "Shin Shin" after giving birth [12] 9th physical examination (August 22, 2017)
・ Giant Panda "Shin Shin" after giving birth [13] 10th physical examination (September 1, 2017)
・ Giant Panda "Shin Shin" after giving birth [14] 11th physical examination (September 12, 2017)
・ Giant Panda "Shin Shin" after giving birth [15] Reaching 100 days old, undergoes 12th physical examination (September 20, 2017)
・ Giant Panda cub's name has been decided as "Xiang Xiang"! (September 25, 2017)
・ Giant Panda Xiang Xiang's latest news [1] Reaching 110 days old, undergoes her 13th physical examination (October 1, 2017)
・ Giant Panda Xiang Xiang's latest news [2] Reaching 120 days old, undergoes her 14th physical examination (October 11, 2017)
・ Giant Panda Xiang Xiang's latest news [3] Reaching 130 days old, undergoes her 15th physical examination (October 21, 2017)
・ Giant Panda Xiang Xiang's latest news [4] Reaching 140 days old, undergoes her 16th physical examination (October 31, 2017)
・ Giant Panda Xiang Xiang's latest news [5] Reaching 150 days old, undergoes her 17th physical examination (November 10, 2017)
・ Giant Panda Xiang Xiang's latest news [6] Reaching 160 days old, undergoes her 18th physical examination (November 20, 2017)
・ We will be releasing photos of Giant Panda mother and cub on December 19th. (November 22, 2017)
・ Giant Panda Xiang Xiang's latest news [7] Reaching 170 days old, undergoes her 19th physical examination (November 30, 2017)
・ Giant Panda Xiang Xiang's latest news [8] Reaching 180 days old, undergoes 20th physical examination (December 12, 2017)
・ Giant Panda Xiang Xiang's latest news [9] 21st physical examination at 196 days old (December 26, 2017)
・ Giant Panda Xiang Xiang's latest news [10] 22nd physical examination at 207 days old (January 6, 2018)
・ Giant Panda Xiang Xiang's latest news [12] 23rd physical examination at 217 days old (January 16, 2018)
・ Giant Panda Xiang Xiang's latest news [12] 24th physical examination at 227 days old (January 26, 2018)
・ Giant Panda Xiang Xiang's latest news [13] 25th physical examination at 238 days old (February 6, 2018)
・ Giant Panda Xiang Xiang's latest news [14] 26th physical examination at 248 days old (February 16, 2018)
・ Giant Panda Xiang Xiang's latest news [15] 27th physical examination at 258 days old (February 26, 2018)
・ The commemorative book "Xiang Xiang's Healthy Growth at 6 Months," celebrating the public debut Giant Panda Xiang Xiang, has been released online. (March 2, 2018)
・ Giant Panda Xiang Xiang's latest news [16] 28th physical examination at 266 days old (March 6, 2018)
・ Giant Panda Xiang Xiang's latest news [17] 276 days old, undergoes 29th physical examination (March 16, 2018)
・ Giant Panda Xiang Xiang's latest news [18] 30th physical examination at 286 days old (March 26, 2018)
・ Giant Panda Xiang Xiang's latest news [19] 31st physical examination at 297 days old (April 10, 2018)
・ Giant Panda Xiang Xiang's latest news [20] 32nd physical examination at 307 days old (April 24, 2018)
・ Giant Panda Xiang Xiang's latest news [21] 34th physical examination at 327 days old (May 8, 2018)
・ Giant Panda Xiang Xiang's latest news [22] 35th physical examination at 337 days old (May 22, 2018)
・ Giant Panda Xiang Xiang's latest news [23] 37th physical examination at 358 days old (June 5, 2018)
・ Giant Panda Xiang Xiang's latest news [24] As Xiang Xiang turns one year old (June 11, 2018)
・ Giant Panda Xiang Xiang's latest news [25] 378 days old, undergoes 39th physical examination (June 26, 2018)
・ Giant Panda Xiang Xiang's latest news [26] 40th physical examination at 388 days old (July 10, 2018)
・ Giant Panda Xiang Xiang's latest news [27] 41st physical examination at 398 days old (July 24, 2018)
・ Giant Panda Xiang Xiang's latest news [28] 43rd physical examination at 419 days old (August 7, 2018)
・ Giant Panda Xiang Xiang's latest news [29] 44th physical examination at 429 days old (August 21, 2018)
・ Giant Panda Xiang Xiang's latest news [30] 45th physical examination at 439 days old (September 4, 2018)
・ Giant Panda Xiang Xiang's latest news [31] 47th physical examination at 460 days old (September 19, 2018)
・ Giant Panda Xiang Xiang's latest news [32] 49th physical examination at 480 days old (October 10, 2018)
・ Giant Panda Xiang Xiang's latest news [33] 50th physical examination at 490 days old (October 23, 2018)
・ Starting November 13th, Giant Panda Xiang Xiang will begin preparations for becoming independent. (November 1, 2018)
・ Giant Panda Xiang Xiang's latest news [34] 52nd physical examination at 511 days old (November 6, 2018)
・ Latest news Giant Panda Xiang Xiang [35] (November 20, 2018)
・ We will now move on to "Step 2" of the steps towards Giant Panda Xiang Xiang becoming independent. (November 20, 2018)
・ Changes in the behavior of Giant Panda mother and cub, and the process and preparations for Xiang Xiang's independence. (November 30, 2018)
・ Starting December 2nd, we will move to "Step 3" of preparations for Giant Panda "Xiang Xiang" to become independent. (November 30, 2018)
・ Starting December 10th (Monday, a day the zoo is closed), we will move to "Step 4" of preparations for Giant Panda "Xiang Xiang" to become independent. (December 7, 2018)
・ Latest news on Giant Panda Xiang Xiang [36] (December 11, 2018)

(December 26, 2018)